til my last breath
by BatFlashAquaven11
Summary: Wally West is newly engaged and ready to start his life. However long that may be.
1. Chapter 1

**Sooo, for this I need y'all to imagine that after the whole justice lord incident, Bats used the portal to look through other dimensions so see if they become rogue in those worlds.**

 **The next chapter of this is already finished, I will post it in either 1 week, or if I get 6 reviews (If I get them on AO3, I will post here also. Or vice versa.)**

Wally smiled into the soft pillow when he felt his lover leave soft kisses on the back of his neck. He was kept warm by the larger body draped over his back. They laid there, content to just be in each others presence and enjoy the afterglow. After a while, the redhead began to squirm, prompting the dark-haired man to get up. He crossed the large bedroom and entered the bathroom, emerging in a pair of sweatpants and carrying a damp towel as well as a dry one. He washed away all the evidence of their lovemaking on the languid body- minus some hickeys that would be gone by morning- before Wally turned over and pulled him back into the bed. The redhead pressed his lips against the others, smiling into the kiss.

"You're incredible," He said, cuddling up to the other as he pulled the blanket up over them. A kiss was gently but firmly pressed against his forehead in response. A hand reached over and clicked off the bedside lamp, enveloping the room in darkness. They held onto one another tight until they drifted off.

 **ooOOooOOooOOooOOoo**

 _He'd ran to the transporter the second they saw the feed. Flash, Wally, had been missing for nearly three days. It wasn't like the redhead to disappear without a trace like that. The team had been looking everywhere, following every lead, but had come up with nothing. Not even J'onn could locate him. Until the moment when every monitor in the Watchtower, possibly in the country, had their missing speedster on it. He was weak, beaten, starved, and most likely drugged; on his knees and staying upright only by the guards holding him by his arms._

 _Towering over him was Lex Luthor. President of the United States, Lex Luthor. They were on a stage of some sort, maybe a set, yet there was no audience. He must have known that the people wouldn't stand for this, wouldn't support what he was about to do. The bald man was rambling on and on about the Justice League. The man wasn't listening to a word he said in his rush. He, Superman, and Green Lantern all stepped onto the teleporter, the last thing they saw on the monitor was Luthor roughly pulling the Flash's cowl down, exposing his face and revealing his identity to the world._

 _They arrived at their destination just as the rifle was being aimed. It pointed at the youngest members head, it's wielder showing no mercy in his eyes. Before any of them could even think to move or speak, a shot rang out and Wally's body hit the floor._

Bruce jerked awake and quickly sat up in the bed, breathing heavily. He turned the lamp on before looking around wildly. He sighed when he saw what, or rather, who, he was looking for. Wally was next to him, sleeping peacefully, just like he should be. Well, he had been sleeping peacefully, until the chest he had been using as a pillow threw him off when it had moved so abruptly. Bruce reached for Wally, touching him wherever he could, rubbing his hands over his arms, his chest, his shoulders, before gripping his face with both hands. The couple's eyes met, Wally's conveying confusion as well as understanding, while Bruce's showed intense fear as well as relief.

"Bruce? What's wrong?" The question was ignored as Bruce just pulled the other body into his own, hugging it as close to him as humanly possible. Wally hugged back, doing what he could to comfort the obviously distraught older man. After a few moments, when Bruce caught his breath and hesitantly released Wally, they settled back into the bed once more.

"Nightmare?" Bruce nodded.

"The Justice Lords?" He nodded again. Wally sighed, turning to lay on his side. He brought a hand up to stroke Bruce's stubbly cheek as he spoke. He was about to say something comforting when the older man's voice filled the quiet of the room, sounding strangely vulnerable.

"I've waited my entire life to find a love like this," The shaky voice began, "and now that I have it, I don't want to lose it. I don't want to lose _you_." Wally opened his mouth to reply but Bruce continued, looking down, "But it seems like everything is pointing towards the inevitability that I'm going to."

"Bruce, I'm not-"

"In every world, Wally West dies young. _Every one_." He whispered the last part, not trusting his voice.

"You don't know that! Who's to say you checked them all, that there aren't tons more dimensions out there where I am just fine! And even if you did get them all, it doesn't mean it's going to happen in this world, in _our_ world!" Wally shouted, before taking a moment to compose himself.

"I am going to die one day, Bruce," The older man met his eyes, "In fact, I'm dying right now. Every minute that passes, I'm a minute closer to death. And I might have billions of minutes left or I might have ten! No one knows! But what I do know, is that my dying wish would be to spend every single last minute that I have left on this earth with you." Bruce just stared at him with those stunning blue eyes, as if he was trying his best to believe what the younger man was saying.

"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, Bruce. I promise." He pressed a kissed to his lover's cheek before putting his head back on the firm chest, rubbing a hand up and down the toned, scarred skin of his stomach. Bruce's eyes didn't leave Wally for a long time, but when they finally did, it was to glance at the bedside dresser.

"Wally," He spoke.

"Yeah?" A sleepy voice replied. A pause.

"Marry me." There was no hesitation before the redhead replied, the sleepiness dissipating as a mega-watt grin took over his features.

"Okay." The corner of the billionaire's lips curved upwards, hinting at a smile.

"I'm serious." Wally laughed, nodding.

"Of course you're serious. You're Batman." Bruce laughed and leaned over, reaching in to the top dresser drawer. He dug for a moment before pulling out a small box. Still laying together in the bed, he pulled out a simple silver band (as simple as something covered in diamonds can be), and slipped it onto Wally's finger. They both admired it for a moment before Wally reached for Bruce's face, grasping it and tugging it towards his own. Bruce could feel the cool metal of the ring against his skin and smiled into the kiss. Both were beaming when they parted.

"I just got engaged while naked. Life is _so_ good." Wally commented, leaning back onto the bed, one hand behind his head and the other extended in front of him, moving his hand around to see the ring at different angles. Bruce smirked and leaned over him, moving in closer as he spoke.

"It's about to get better." Wally swallowed. Bruce didn't speak again until his lips were centimeters from Wally's ear. Then he whispered:

"There's cake downstairs."

Wally eyes widened in excitement and he whispered, "God, I love Alfred," placed a quick, and this is _The Flash_ were talking about, so I really do mean quick, kiss to Bruce's lips before he was gone. Just as fast as he had left, he was back, grabbing the first pair of pants he saw he shucking them on, and then in a gust of wind he was gone again.

 **ooOOooOOooOOooOOoo**

When Bruce made it to the kitchen, the light was on and the silverware drawer was open. Wally sat on a barstool, half-naked and fork in hand as he tore away at the oversized chocolate cake. Next to him, on a plate was a perfectly cut piece for Bruce. It was a corner piece, his favorite. He sat down and began to eat, but as he savored the second bite, he felt the familiar and, at the moment, unwanted buzzing in his ear. He heard a groan to his left, indicating that the other hero had gotten the message as well.

"It will be here when we get back, come on," Bruce said, pulling the reluctant speedster out of his chair and away from the baked good.

"Not if Tim beats us," Wally grumped as he reluctantly went to grab a Flash ring and change into his costume before rushing to the Batcave where he met a fully dressed Batman. Batman, that he had seen non-fully dressed before. Many, many times. He let J'onn know that they were ready for transport and waited patiently for a moment before the setting of the cave began to dissipate. Wally's mind had one fleeting thought before his body disappeared.

' _Holy shit, I'm engaged to Batman."_


	2. Chapter 2

Once on the Javelin and on their way, John and Shayera noticed that the resident speedster of the group was even more giddy than usual, especially considering it was about four in the morning. They watched, amused, as their friend and "little brother" did something that, for most people, would be suicidal. He was _teasing_ Batman. He tapped on one shoulder before zipping to the broody man's other side. Who was acting like he was piloting the ship, but in reality he had switched it to autopilot a while ago. Most of the time Bruce may find this annoying, but there isn't much Wally could do less than an hour after agreeing to marry him that would make him too angry. The sex earlier also helped the speedster's case. On the inside, Bruce was just as giddy as Wally, he just did a much better job at hiding it.

"It's like if a cat and a dog got together," Clark commented, also noticing his friends.

"What do you think has Wally so happy?" Shayera asked the group. The rest of the team was seated in the back of the javelin. They were _supposed_ to be working out a mission plan.

"When isn't Wally happy?" John countered, and he wasn't wrong. Even when there was nothing to be happy about, the redhead somehow found a way to be optimistic. In this line of work, they needed someone like that. The Justice Lords showed them exactly what would happen if they were to lose him. The thought of it wasn't something they wanted to think about, and in all honestly, most of them couldn't handle emotionally. They've all grown so close over the years, even after the expansion, they were like family.

"This is a new level, even for Wally. J'onn?" Shayera got the Martian's attention, and the rest of group turned to him. His orange eyes remained unfazed. He knew what she was implying, but he refrained from invading his teammates privacy and reading their minds unless it was deemed an emergency.

"I'm not going to read-"

"This _is_ important, J'onn!" The winged-woman countered.

"I don't understand."

"Maybe his mind has been taken over by aliens trying to get him killed! Why else would he be messing with Batman like that! Even if they are dating, bothering him like that is suicide!"

J'onn seemed to ponder this for a moment, before his eyes glowed a brighter orange for a moment as he looked towards the overactive speedster. After a moment, his eyes dimmed and he looked back at the team, his lips curving upwards.

"Well?" John prompted.

"He has reason to be happy. That is all I will say." The others groaned. Leave it to J'onn to get the dirty laundry but not hang it on the clothesline.

" _However,_ there is another one here that can find the information you seek while remaining discrete," J'onn explained. All eyes turned to Clark. His eyes glowed as he looked towards the speedster with his X-ray vision. His face broke out in a smile so big it could only belong to Superman.

"Well, I'll be damned." A chorus of "What is it?!", "Tell us!", and other demands echoed around him. For a group of adults, they sure loved gossip. Clark's smile turned to a smirk.

"He's got a ring. And an expensive one at that." Everyone, minus J'onn's, eyes widened. Diana looked mildly upset, as she was hoping one day the Dark Knight may return her feelings. Hopefully this would help her to get closure from the relationship that never was. John and Clark were happy for their friends. Never in a million years would they have ever imagined that two people as different as Bruce and Wally would fall in love. Never in _two million_ years did they ever think that two people like Bruce and Wally would ever get married. Bruce was so dedicated to his work, and was supposedly a "playboy" (although Bruce Wayne had come out as dating Wally West nearly a year ago and hadn't been seen with any ditsy females on his arm since the reveal). Wally just liked to flirt and they others honestly couldn't see him settling down with anyone either. They figured he moved so fast that he would find it boring staying with one person for any extended period of time. They were proven wrong, as he and Bruce had been together nearly four years now.

"Wally!" Shayera shouted across the javelin. The man in question was in front of the table less that a second later, the wind accompanying him blowing some papers off the table.

"Wally West here, how can I be of assistance?" He said with a huge grin. His mask was pulled down and hanging behind his head, his messy red hair on display. Shayera reached for his hand and pulled his glove off before he could figure out what she was doing. The bright lights reflected off the ring, making it even more aesthetic than it already was. Wally looked at the other's sheepishly. He was going to question how they knew, but he knew his friend's powers and figured it out fairly painlessly. And by the smiles on their faces (and maybe Diana's was forced, but she was trying and that was enough), they seemed to be supportive. He was jerked out of his thought by a punch in the arm. He grabbed his arm and looked to his "big sister".

"I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"It's just happened! And then I was distracted by cake! I would've gotten around to it sooner or later! You know me, I'm not exactly patient." Her "anger" wore off and she threw her arms around him.

"I can't believe you're getting married!" Wally laughed and hugged her back.

"So Wally West is officially off the market, huh?" Wally looked to his best friend, his smile never faulting.

"Wally West has been off the market for a long time, John." The other's smiled. Wally knew Bruce could hear their conversation and was smiling on the inside at Wally's words.

"I'm- We are very happy for you two." Diana said, her voice lacking its usual fierceness and confidence. Wally's face softened a smidge, and he put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

"Thank you Di, it means a lot," He pressed a kiss to her cheek before pulling away. Clark had quietly snuck away to the controls of the ship.

"Bruce Wayne is about to break some hearts, huh?" He said, smirking down at the man seated in the pilot's chair. Bruce leaned back in his chair, musing the thought.

"The media is going to have a field day." Bruce sighed. Hopefully, Wally would be okay with keeping the engagement on the down low for a while. Things were already busy in Gotham right now what with the latest Arkham breakout, and he needed to spend more time as Batman, rather than as Bruce Wayne talking to reporters and being bombarded for interviews and invites to the wedding that wasn't even planned yet. Wally was usually pretty accommodating, seeing as he wasn't a huge fan of being in the spotlight like that either. He got that out of his system as the Flash.

"We're here. I hope you guys came up with a mission plan." Batman said knowingly. Clark's smirk faltered. Bruce got an odd sense of joy from making the most powerful man on Earth stutter and feel inadequate.

"Uh, actually-"

"I came up with one. Come on." He said, standing up and walking towards the others. Clark shook his head and laughed before following.

 **ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo**

"Hey, Ugly! Over here! Bet you can't catch me!" He shouted at the monster, dodging a spine that shot from it's skin. This thing was like a giant, purple, porcupine. But in a less "cute and adorable" way, and in a more "terrorizing an innocent planet on the far side of the galaxy" type of way. The Flash was on decoy duty, zipping around in an attempt to distract and disable the beast. Once they weakened it, it was simply strategy to take it down. Same thing they do with all insanely large bad guys that don't seem too smart: trip it up. The fall usually takes a beast out of commision every time, and today was no different. Diana handed the lasso to Flash and he ran in circles around the monstrosity, tangling its legs up in the rope. Superman landed a swift punch to the head and it began its inevitable descent. All of the founder's honestly didn't even need to be sent for this mission, most of them were not even needed. But they would be lying if they said that didn't enjoy being together again, just the seven of them. No one was complaining about a little nostalgia.

They all watched as the monster fell to the rocky earth of the planet. As it made contact, spines came shooting out of its back in all directions. Flash and Superman were quick to move out of the way, grabbing the ones aimed at their slower teammates before they could hit them. J'onn was able to density shift so the spines passed through him, while John threw up a shield with his ring to protect himself. Superman stood in front of Batman, something he would probably be glared at for later. The spines just ricocheted of Superman's invulnerable body. In superspeed, Flash grabbed a few slow moving (from his perspective) purple spikes out of the air before they could hit Diana before moving towards Hawkgirl to stop those ones too. When he stopped running everything sped up around him, he saw his friends shy away from the incoming projectiles only to find that the were no longer coming. The ones around them continued their path until they hit something. He felt a slight pain in the back of his upper arm and turned to look.

"Damn it," He cursed. one had grazed his arm. "This was a new suit!" He complained. Clark stepped up and grasped his arm to take a look at it, blood was slowly oozing out of the shallow but long wound.

"It's not that bad. Come on, we'll check it out back at the Watchtower." He said and led the others back to the ship.

 **ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo**

"So what exactly was it again?"

"I'm telling you, it was like a giant porcupine! Like the Purple People Eater minus the people eating and plus these giants spikes!"

Ollie laughed and took another bite out of his lunch.

"Right..." Flash gawked at him and threw hands up in the air.

"Dude! We've fought so many things so much weirder than this, why don't you believe me!?"

"I don't believe anything until I see it," The blonde man replied, causing Wally to sigh. He was getting nowhere with Oliver. The conversation was interrupted by a dark-skinned man coming over, looking for Wally.

"Kid, I know you didn't hit the medbay yet. Batman isn't going to let you leave the Watchtower until you do," He noticed Wally's piles of greasy, unhealthy food and grimaced, "You really need to eat healthier too."

"Please, I have my ways of dealing with Batman," Ollie coughed next to him to cover up a laugh, "Besides, it's just a scratch. Nothing to worry about. Oh, and you try eating 20,000 calories a day in broccoli and let me know how it goes."

"Be that as it may, I still feel obligated to make you go. Come on, Hotshot." John said, pulling Wally up by the elbow. He sighed but let himself be pulled. He was used to the other founders being overly protective of him by now.

"You know John, I like you. Even though you're being a pain in the ass right now." Wally said, feigning annoyance. John held back a laugh. Wally smiled and was quiet for a moment.

"How about you be my best man?" John stopped in his tracks and turned to the redhead, a smile on his face.

"It'd be an honor, Wally. Thank you." Wally smiled back, walking without the grip on his arm anymore. At the end of the rather lengthy hallway, he stumbled, tripping over nothing. He put a hand against the wall, steadying himself. John sped up and hovered next to him.

"You okay?" Wally shook him off, still leaning on the wall for support. His body all of the sudden was not responding like it should be. His head felt fuzzy and he took a deep breath before starting to walk again. He made it one step, but then on the second his knees buckled. His vision went blurry and he would've hit the ground if it wasn't for his friend's quick reaction.

"Wally!" He slide an arm under Wally's arms behind his back, the other on his chest, and helped him to straighten back up.

"I'm okay," the redhead tried to assure his friend, but the ex-marine could hear the shakiness in his voice and knew that he didn't believe his own words.

"C'mon, let's get you to the medbay." He said, and for the first time possibly ever, received no protests from the speedster, just a whispered "yeah, okay" as he squeezed his eyes shut. John held him firmly and led him to the medical wing of the Watchtower.


	3. Chapter 3

"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him." John looked at the doctor, his face showing that he was skeptical of the man's words. Dr. Jenson took this as sign to elaborate. Wally sat on the bed with his legs dangling over the side. His suit had been replaced by a medical gown, much to his displeasure, and his face and hair were concealed by his usual mask.

"Besides the cut on his arm, he looks to be in perfect health. His vitals all look good."

"That doesn't explain why he nearly passed out half an hour ago."

"Probably just low blood sugar."

"He had just eaten."

"Flash's metabolism is a delicate thing, Mr. Stewart." Wally's head was moving back and forth between the two as if he was watching a tennis match. John didn't seem convinced, but finally relented. Not without sending the doctor a killer Green Lantern Glare. Nothing to compare to the BatGlare, but intimidating in itself. Not that he was exactly mad at Dr. Jensen, he just wanted answers and wasn't getting them.

"Look, we'll keep a close eye on him and have him checked out again in a few days to see if anything has changed," A groan was heard from the patient on the table, "In the meantime, Flash, get some rest."

"No problem, Doc. I could use a nap." He said, followed conveniently by a yawn. The doctor smiled before walking out, Flash's medical chart in his hand. Wally hopped off the bed, reaching for his suit and changing in a whirlwind of speed.

"You heading to Earth?" John asked. He pulled the door open and held it as the speedster walked out. He shook his head.

"Nah, I've got monitor duty in a few hours. I'll just stay up here and get a little shut eye first." He replied, turning in the direction of his quarters. John nodded and then Wally was gone.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Wally skidded to a stop in front of a door with "Flash" printed on it. He quickly entered the code and the door slid open, revealing the surprisingly (to most) clean room. While Wally seemed like the messy type, it was fairly easy to keep his place tidy when any mess could be cleaned up in the blink of an eye. He was pleasantly surprised to see the bedside lamp on and a certain dark-haired man in his bed, leaning against the headboard. He was on top of the blankets, glassed perched on his nose and book in hand. Part of Wally couldn't help but think he looked undeniably sexy. Another part of him was too tired to care.

"About time." The deep voice shook Wally out of his thoughts and he smiled, pulling his mask off as he walked towards the dresser.

"Are you actually complaining that I went to the medbay?" He joked, opening a drawer and pulling out a white t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants that were a little too big, "Besides, I thought you were working on a case?"

"Cracked it. Alfred convinced me to get some sleep." By that, Wally knew he really meant that Alfred made him get some sleep, something that never failed to amuse him. As Wally changed, Bruce put his book down and took off his reading glasses, placing them in their case on the bedside table next to the book. He got off the bed so he could pull the covers back and get underneath them.

"Doesn't look like you're doing much sleeping..." Wally teased, pressing himself close to his lover. He was struggling to stay awake, and the hand rubbing circles on his back wasn't helping. He didn't know the exact moment when he began vibrating, or how the others put it, "purring", but he hardly noticed it. He felt lips on neck, kissing and licking and biting. Bruce moved up to his ear and whispered:

"I've been waiting for you," before attacking his neck once again. He pushed Wally's shoulder down so that he was laying on his back and moved so that half of his body was covering the redheads. Meanwhile, Wally was engaged in a war with himself. He wanted to stay awake and enjoy his fiance's attention but he was just so tired, more tired than he could ever remember being. He slipped his own hand into Bruce's hand, pulling him even closer against his neck. He moaned when he felt a sharp bite to his neck at the same time as a warm, large hand slipped under the waistband of his pants. The hand squeezed around him gently while another hand ran down his side and then back up to cup the other side of his neck.

After a minute or two of heavy petting, Bruce noticed that his partner was being uncharacteristically quiet. Wally was a very enthusiastic lover, enough so that Bruce had the master bedroom in the manor soundproofed. He listened to the speedster's even breathing for a moment before pulling back and confirming: Wally had fallen asleep. Bruce was a mix of concerned and amused. In all the years they had been together, this had never happened. Bruce pushed down all his thoughts and concerns, as he was unwilling to wake the obviously exhausted speedster. Instead he reached over and turned the bedside lamp off before laying an arm across his lover and drifting off himself.

ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Bruce woke to the sound of coughing. His side was cold, informing him that his bedmate had been gone for at least a short while. He blinked a few times to wake himself up, looking around. The sound seemed to be coming from the ground on the other side of the bed.

"Wally?" He questioned, peering over but not seeing much in the dark. The wet, choked, coughing continued to fill the room. Bruce reached over and switched the light on, his eyes going wide at what was revealed by the illumination. Kneeling on his hands and knees next to the bed was Wally. The coughs continued to rack his frame while he tried his best not to pass out from lack of oxygen. What worried him more than that was the blood. The red stains stood out on his white shirt and his pale, trembling hand. Bruce vaguely noticed that it was on Wally's pillow as well before he threw the covers off and crouched down next to Wally, carefully resting a hand on his back. The younger man looked up at him with fear in his green eyes that told Bruce that he had no idea why this was happening. Bruce tapped on the comm link in his ear.

"Clark. Is Dr. Jenson on board?" There was a pause before his friend and teammate replied.

"Doesn't look like it. His shift ended a few hours ago."

"Find him. Get him here. I'm bringing Wally to the medbay right now." Bruce placed a hand on Wally's chest and his other arm around his waist and helped pull him to his feet. Wally was trying his best to breathe between the harsh coughs, but it was more like strangled, panicked gasps.

"Is he okay? What's going on?"

"Just do it, Clark!" Bruce snapped. He could apologize to his longtime friend later, right now his only concern is Wally and getting him help as soon as possible. He led Wally out the door, supporting a majority of the other man's weight. They were halfway down the hall before he realized neither of them were wearing their masks. Only a select few members of the Justice League knew the face behind Batman: The founders, Green Arrow, and Zatanna. Wally was more open, most of the League having known his identity for quite some time, mostly because he just didn't like wearing the cowl unless he had to. He always complained about his head getting hot. Dr. Jenson didn't know any secret identities, but he was about to find out. Hopefully he can keep a secret.

In front of the medbay doors stood a tall spandex-clad figure. Worry showed on the Kryptonian's face as he opened the door, holding it while Bruce maneuvered Wally in the room and onto the bed. He was still struggling for air, but the coughing had ceased.

"Jenson didn't answer." Bruce cursed, that was the only doctor qualified to work with Flash's unique physiology. Not that his body was physically any different than a regular humans. Chemically, though, it was like a puzzle that only one of the Watchtower doctors had been able to solve. And that doctor was currently unavailable.

The white of the hospital bed and the white of shirt did nothing to hide the blood stains. Bruce grabbed a towel and carefully wiped the blood from his lips and chin before moving to his hands. He carefully pulled the ring off his finger so he could wash it before placing it on the table. Clark came over with a dixie cup full of water to wash out his mouth with. It was a wonder how someone who could bend steel could hold something as flimsy as that little cup without crushing it.

"J-John!" Wally managed to gasp out between breaths.

"What about John?" Bruce asked, helping Wally to sit up straight for a moment. Clark held the cup to Wally's lips so he could take a sip, swish it around for a second, and spit it back out. The once crystal clear water was now tinted red.

"He was h-here. With me." Wally breathed out, closing his eyes to stop the room from spinning around him. Bruce was helping him out of his ruined shirt, and for the first time noticed that he wasn't vibrating like usual, but shivering. He was also sweating, the back of his shirt was damp with it, as was his hairline. He gently lowered the speedster back onto the bed, which was adjusted to he was sitting reclined rather than laying down. Clark pulled a blanket out of a cupboard and threw it over his younger teammate.

"Lantern." Bruce said, the ungloved finger on his ear a telltale sign that he was speaking over the comms. He waited a few seconds before their was a response.

"Problem?" The deep voice of John Stewart said, sounding as if he had just woken up. Which he had.

"You went to the medbay with Wally. What did Dr. Jensen say?" It was more of a command than a question. Bruce motioned towards a thermometer, which Clark took and placed under the redhead's tongue. He didn't seem to mind or even notice. Neither of them were doctors, but they were doing the best they could at the moment.

"He said the kid was fine. Couldn't find anything out of the ordinary."

"He's coughing up blood and has a temperature of," Clark pulls out the beeping thermometer and shows it to Bruce, "108.7. That's pretty out of the ordinary if you ask me."

"What!?" John exclaimed, sounding fully awake now, "Where is he?!"

"He's with me and Clark in the medbay. He didn't see any problem with Wally this afternoon?"

"The whole reason I wanted him to go was the cut on his arm from the mission, so obviously he saw that. Made sure it was clean and everything. It should be healed by now." Bruce gently gripped Wally's elbow, pulling it up towards his head so that he could see the wound. Wally made no protest, too exhausted to do anything other than let his body be handled. Bruce frowned when he saw that the wound was not only still there, but looked worse. The skin around the wound was red and slightly warm(er than the rest of his body), a telltale sign of infection. Something Wally hadn't dealt with in a long time, since he got his powers. Why was he suddenly getting one now?

"Listen, I need you to contact Shayera, Diana, and J'onn. Go back to that planet, find out all you can about that species of monster we fought. Try to get one of the spines that cut him and bring it back here for testing."

"Got it." John used his ring to construct his usual uniform and prepared to be beamed up to the watchtower. Clark had left to go press the button that would transport him up, seeing as he was the one who had abandoned monitor duty. The dark-haired man heard a soft moan of discomfort from the bed, and turned to see the pale speedster struggling under the blanket, before he began to cough once again.

"And John?" Bruce's voice sounded tense and worried, but less rough than it usually did.

"What?"

"Hurry."

 **ooOOooOOooOOooOOoo**

 **my headcanon is that Wally's normal temperature is raised because his metabolism is working so much, so his normal body temperature is about 102. so, his temp here is equavilent to a normal person having a 104ish temperature, which is really dangerous.**

 **anyway, please leave a review and let me know what you like, what you dont like, etc. ! I'll write more faster!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Not much Bruce and/or Wally in this chapter, but the next chapter has a lot! The more reviews it gets the fast I update. (Although I generally update based on the comments on AO3 as opposed to here since nobody reviews here anymore haha) anyway, hope you enjoy.**

When John materialized on the transport pad, his hand immediately went back to his ear to contact the others. Clark prepared the transporter to bring the rest of the team up.

"Shayera, we've got a situation. Prepare for transport."

" _Ready."_

"Diana, you're needed."

" _Right._ "

"J'onn, how soon can you be at the Watchtower?"

"I'm already here." The reply didn't come through the speaker in his ear, but form the other side of the room. John's was confused until he turned around and saw the Martian, then he became surprised.

"When did you-?"

"I sensed a feeling of collective panic and worry. I came to investigate."

"I'll explain just as soon as..." The blue light on the transport pad quickly flashed and faded to reveal the two female founders.

"What's going on?" Shayera asked, walking towards the others. Diana was quick to follow. The two girls and J'onn were all ready for an explanation.

"Wally's sick."

"I thought he didn't get sick?" Shayera questioned, looking skeptical. In all the years she had known the speedster, he had never once been ill. He claimed he 'couldn't get a cold when he was this hot' usually followed by a wink. All jokes aside, Wally had never gotten sick since he got his powers. The same went with Barry back when he was alive, leading them to believe it was because of their speed.

"He doesn't. Bruce thinks it has something to do with the spine that cut him from the monster earlier."

"That? It hardly grazed him." Diana wonder aloud. They had all let it go fairly quickly, unconcerned. A wound like that should be healed in a matter of hours for their speedy friend. How could something so small and seemingly insignificant effect him?

"Something has to be the cause, and this is our only lead." Superman explained. The others nodded solemnly.

"We're wasting time, let's go. I'll explain the rest on the way." John said, moving towards the javelin bay. The others, minus Clark followed. He watched them take off before calling Mr. Terrific in to take over the rest of his shift and also Wally's shift that was due to start in an hour. He made his way back to the medbay, stood in the doorway and watched as Bruce Wayne, the "cold-hearted Bat" placed a cool damp cloth over the younger man's sweaty forehead. He'd like to say that he did something to get Wally calmed down again, but in reality he had coughed until he passed out. For the first time since he was eight years old, Bruce felt helpless. How could he help him if he didn't even know what was wrong with him?

"They just left." Clark said, breaking the silence in the room. Bruce didn't flinch or acknowledge that he heard him, but he knew that he did.

 **ooOOooOOooOOooOOooOOoo**

They arrived at the planet in record time, J'onn landing the ship near the battle sight from before: a small deserted area near a large city. John had explained the situation to the others along the way. They were ready to do whatever necessary to save their friend. Wally was like the adorable, annoying little brother they never had, but also the sweetest guy they had ever had the pleasure of befriending. He always knew just how to cheer them up, always putting others before himself. They exited the ship and took a look around the desert-like terrain. The battle ground had been cleared. The huge purple monster had been removed and dealt with somehow, and seemingly every quill that had been shot at them was gone.

"We're going to need to find some locals. Get some more information." Green Lantern explained.

"I thought Bruce wanted a sample?" Shayera asked, looking around, "I don't see any here." John nodded.

"He does. We're going to need to split up."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? None of us are familiar with the area." Diana asked.

"We haven't a clue as to how much danger Wally is in." J'onn added.

"Exactly, I don't want to waste any more time. J'onn, you and Diana find someone who knows anything about those monsters. Me and Shayera will go find one. We'll call in when we're done."

"Understood." Diana and J'onn took to the air to head towards what looked like civilization on this planet. Shayera turned to John once they had left.

"Any idea as to where to find one of these things?" John sighed.

"Not a clue."

 **ooOOooOOooOOooOOoo**

"Look, there's someone! Perhaps she knows something." Diana landed in front of the unattractive alien whom she correctly assumed was a women. This race of alien had diverse skin colors, anywhere from blue to orange to pink. This one in particular was lime green. They were also completely hairless, and had eyes like a cat. Seeing as they didn't breathe oxygen, they didn't have a need for noses. The women stopped as her path was cut off, looking surprised at the fierce looking, yet beautiful warrior stared down at her.

"I am Diana of Themyscira, I was wondering if you could tell me anything about a creature that was here recently. It's skin was purple and it was covered in spines." The women looked at her as if she'd grown a second head. Diana's polite expression changed to one of confusion. When the women finally responded, Diana realized that they do not speak the same language, and while Diana knows most languages of man's world, she can't say she knows many (or any) of other worlds. She turned to J'onn, then back to the women, who had walked away, then back to J'onn.

"How are we going to get information if we cannot understand one another?"

"This dialect is similar to one of the many used on Mars. It wasn't frequently used, but I should be able to put enough together to gather the information we seek." Diana nodded, and they walked down the nearly deserted street, looking for someone who could help them.

 **ooOOooOOooOOooOOoo**

John and Shayera flew over the sand, following what seemed to be footprints too big to belong to any native of this planet. John had discovered them with his ring; they were barely visible as the sand had shifted over time. They further they went, the newer the footprints looked. Finally they found what they were looking for. Actually, about ten of what they were looking for. John grabbed Shayera's arm and pulled her down behind a large boulder before they were spotted.

"Alright, do not engage them. We just need to make one aggressive enough to start shooting those spines, grab one, and go." He whispered. Shayera smirked at him and nodded, grabbing her mace.

"I can do aggressive." She took off before John could say another word, flying out from behind the rock with a battle cry. This gained the attention of the pod of purple monsters who all turned toward her. Careful not to touch any of the spines, she dive bombed through the group and back up again trying to frighten them and get them on the defensive. When that didn't work, she hit one of them in the stomach with her mace, not hard enough to actually hurt it. This did the trick, as it sent its spines flying through the air, trying to protect itself. After avoiding the large claw of another, Shayera flew out of the pod and back towards the rock she had GL behind. He was no longer there, but she only had to wait a few seconds before he returned, a few of the monster's spines held in a green bubble. If these were the cause of Wally's condition, he didn't want anyone to accidentally get pricked by one.

As John was contacting Diana and J'onn, the large boulder they were hiding behind was lifted and they looked up to see the group of giant monsters staring down at them, looking very angry. They both took that as a sign to take off.

 **ooOOooOOooOOooOOoo**

"The other's were successful, they are headed back to the Javelin now." Diana told J'onn when he finished up talking to an older looking gentleman with blue skin. He managed to understand enough of what the man said and thanked him in his native language for the information before he walked off. The Martian's usually stoic face look troubled, but she waited until the other's were around to ask. When they entered the Javelin, they saw that John and Shayera were already there. John was carefully placing the spines into a glass box, where they would be safe, while Shayera was busy with the standard pre-flight checks.

"What did you find out?" John asked, getting right to the point. If J'onn had lungs, he would have let out a sign before beginning.

"The beast we fought is greatly feared here. In English, it's name translates to 'spined killer.'" The other's visibly tensed.

"The spines on its back are for self-defense, and contain a poison that is known to be lethal to the people of this world, as well as very painful. It destroys the immune system and then with nothing to stop it, attacks the rest of the body. There are no records of how it affects a human, but my guess is that it would be quite similar."

"How much time does he have until...you know." Shayera asked, nervous for the answer. All the others looked troubled as well, scared for their friend.

"The man said they usually pass on within a month. However, their physiology is more...durable...than that of a human," J'onn wasn't sure if that was the right word to use, but he couldn't think of a better one. The human body is so much more vulnerable than any other species he'd met on other planets.

"Wally's metabolism will probably make that time even shorter. What can we do?" John asked, his face stern. J'onn paused for just a second before delivering the worse news yet.

"Nothing. There is no antidote."

Diana was on the verge of tears and Shayera looked angry, but they all knew those words broke her up on the inside. Her and Wally were very close and had a special brother/sister relationship. They looked after one another. She felt even more protective over him, seeing as he was only twenty-six, a good eight years younger than the next youngest founder. And now, he was laying in a hospital bed, unaware that he was dying. She couldn't help but feel guilty, remembering how he protected her from the spines. She wondered if Diana felt the same as her, seeing as he protected her too. She felt the ship lurch, and realized that John had already gotten the ship off the ground and was sending it towards the Watchtower much faster than she thought it was capable of going. She came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. His gaze never moved from the blackness of space in front of him. J'onn was seated in the copilot seat, and Diana came up to the group in front as well.

"Are you sure it's safe to be going this fast?" The Amazon asked.

"The faster we get back, the faster we can run some tests and try to find a cure." Nobody said another word for the entire four and a half hours until they landed at the Watchtower.


	5. Chapter 5

The first thing Wally heard was a very loud and annoying beeping sound. He kept his eyes shut, something Bats had taught him in case he was ever captured. So you can get a feel for where you are before you let them know you're awake. He quickly realized he was in the medbay at the Watchtower, his shirt was missing, and he assumed the hand wrapped around his fingers belonged to Bruce. He opened his eyes just a little bit at a time as they adjusted to the lights. He was right about the hand; Bruce was passed out a chair next to his bed. He pulled his hand away so he could run his fingers through the dark hair of the sleeping man. Bruce was a notoriously light sleeper, so this easily woke him. Bruce looked relieved to see him up, he rubbed at his eyes for a moment before sitting up in the chair.

"How do you feel?" He asked, concern lacing his tone. If he would have been in the Batman suit, the newbies would have either been very confused of very scared. Generally, only Wally and the Bat family got the see this side of Bruce. The side that cared way too much and was honestly just a scared eight year old boy terrified of losing anyone else. Wally thought for a minute before answering.

"Fine." Wally replied, not wanting to worry him more than he likely already was. Bruce gave him the "I know you're lying, now tell me the truth" look. Wally sighed in defeat, knowing there was no way around it.

"Uh, I'm kind of dizzy, my head is pounding, I don't think I could run right now if I wanted too, and I'm pretty sure there is an invisible elephant sitting on my chest." Bruce nodded and pursed his lips. Then he noticed something that had the detective in him screaming. The hickeys he gave Wally the night before were still there. They are usually healed by morning. He got up from his seat, moving closer to the patient on the bed. He put two fingers under Wally's chin and gently pushed his head up to get a better look. They were still dark and new.

"You aren't healing." Wally's brow furrowed and he looked at Bruce in confusion. Bruce grabbed a small handheld mirror from a drawer and held it up so Wally could see. Wally looked at the bruises, amazed that they were still visible. He brought a hand up to touch them gently.

"Did Jenson say anything?" Wally asked, looking back at Bruce. He sighed and put the mirror down, looking annoyed.

"No one has been able to get a hold of him. And it's very possible he won't be able to do any more than we are already doing. The others are tracking down that creature that got you with the spine as we speak." Wally's eyes widened.

"You mean the cut? It hardly-" Wally cut himself off with a gasp when he looked and noticed that not only was the wound still there, but it was worse than before.

"That hasn't healed either."

Now Wally was just plain confused. He'd gotten that shallow cut over twenty-four hours ago. Why was it still there? Something must actually be wrong with him. Oh well, Bats would fix it. Bats can fix anything, right?

Bruce noticed that Wally's breathing was labored, and before Wally could protest, he placed an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose to help him breathe a little easier. Before he could even complain, the door opened. It was Clark, looking solemn.

"Bruce? A minute?" Bruce nodded and turned back to Wally.

"I'll be right back." Wally nodded and Bruce left. He closed the door behind him and followed Clark down the hall to the conference room. They sat down in two of the seven seats at the table.

"What's this about?" Bruce asked, wanting to get straight to the point. Clark avoided eye contact with his good friend for a few more seconds before finally sighing and facing him.

"I just talked to J'onn. Wally was injected with a very deadly poison and unless we can come up with some kind of antidote, he's probably only got a few weeks." Bruce didn't respond for almost a full minute. He stared at the table so intensely, Clark thought he was trying to burn holes into it. They'd already had to replace this table twice because of Clark doing that, so thankfully Bruce wasn't equipped with heat vision. Abruptly, Bruce stood.

"Then we're going to have to find one."

Then he turned to leave, presumably going back to the medbay. Clark hesitated for a moment, then followed.

 **ooOOooOOooOOoo**

Bruce reentered Wally's room less than five minutes after he had left. All that had changed was now Wally was sitting up in the bed, legs dangling off the edge. He was breathing heavy, the oxygen mask was held in his hand. His eyes were closed but opened when he heard the click of the door, then closed again once he realized who it was.

"Wally, put that back on." Bruce approached, gently taking the mask from his hand. He tried to put it back on his face, but Wally turned his head. He swallowed and opened his eyes, his face showing his obvious discomfort. Bruce, recognizing the look, grabbed the nearest trashcan and thrust in into Wally's lap just before he got sick. Bruce grimaced, knowing how much Wally hated throwing up. He rubbed circles on Wally's back, trying to soothe him. Clark must have come in at some point, because once again he was handing Wally a cup of water to rinse his mouth out.

Bruce put the trash can down and helped Wally lay back down in the bed as he tried to catch his breath. His face, neck, and exposed upper body was covered in a fine layer of sweat and Clark handed Bruce a towel before taking the trash can out of the room. The smell of vomit would only make him sick again, seeing as he was obviously nauseous.

Bruce ran cool water over the towel before placing it on Wally's body to help cool him down. He grabbed the thermometer and took his temperature again. 108.9 degrees; a little higher than before. A speedster's body temperature is already elevated, so he had more leeway in the fever department than a normal human would.

Wally had passed out once again. He pulled the blanket back up over him and ran a hand through his hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead. He looked even younger than he already was. The redhead still had so much life left to live, so much he hadn't experienced, and he'd spent almost half of his twenty-six years protecting others. First as Kid Flash alongside his uncle and the Titans, then on his own as the Flash, and finally with the Justice League. He was so selfless and Bruce believed he deserved everything in the world, yet he always seems to pull the short straw.

His childhood was a mess, his mother passing when he was only three and his drunken father blaming it on the poor kid. Wally couldn't get scars anymore, but the majority of the ones he had were from his old man. He abused and neglected Wally for nearly four years, and then one day he just left him. Took him on a walk through the woods near the park, told him to stay put, that he would be right back, and never returned. A seven year old child was alone for almost 72 hours before he was found by a family that was camping. They fed him and took him to the hospital, before the police came and got him. They never were able to track down his father. He ended up in Central City orphanage for over four years before his Aunt Iris moved from Keystone to Central and found him. She moved to be with her soon to be husband, Barry Allen, who would end up being more of a father to Wally than Rudolph ever was.

Less than a year later, Wally was thirteen and had been officially adopted by his Aunt and Uncle. Things were looking up for the kid. He even found out his uncle was the Flash, like how cool is that!? After he got his powers, he even got to be a sidekick. He got to meet other heroes and sidekicks, like Green Arrow and Speedy, and of course Batman and Robin. Although the league wasn't a thing back then, the sidekicks became best friends, always spending free time together at the manor. Back then, a twenty-seven year old Bruce Wayne would have never thought that he would end up engaged to the fifteen year old redhead that eats all his food. He wouldn't even _think_ about him _that way_ until he was about twenty-one.

Anyway, things were great for a few years...until they weren't. Barry died saving the world. Batman was there when it happened, his throat tight as he tried to comfort the seventeen year old in the bright yellow costume. He was on his knees in the middle of the deserted street, looking at the spot where his uncle had been just minutes before. He kept repeating "come back... please come back" until his voice broke and he couldn't speak anymore. Bruce had put an arm around him and taken the shocked boy to the manor for a few nights to make sure he didn't do anything to hurt himself and was taking care of himself. Alfred grew quite fond over the kid, and Roy stopped by frequently to help Dick comfort Wally.

Wally hung up the uniform for a few months after that, believing he was just a sidekick and couldn't do it without Barry. He didn't want his aunt to have to worry about him right now after she just lost her husband. A week after his Aunt Iris was killed in a car accident, he took over the mantle of the Flash. He was seventeen and on his own again. He finished high school and went to college on a full ride, a scholarship that to this day he still doesn't know was funded by Wayne Enterprises. He lived at Titan's tower for short while before getting a job and his own apartment, the one he still lives in today. Although he mostly just keeps it for appearances now, as he spends most nights with Bruce at the manor. Bruce doesn't know the exact moment it went from being "his room" to being "their room", but he would never dream of it any other way.

By now, the other's had arrived. Diana, Shayera, and John came in to see Wally, quieting down at the glare Bruce sent them. They understood why when they noticed he was asleep. The oxygen mask had been placed back over his mouth and nose and the cool damp towel was over his forehead. His skin was paler than usual, even his hair looked duller than it usually did. The girls went to either side of the redhead and each grabbed one of his hands before sitting down in the chairs. Bruce turned to John.

"Did you get a sample?" Bruce asked quietly, as not to wake the sleeping patient. John nodded.

"J'onn is waiting for you in the lab. Where's Dr. Jensen?" John questioned when he didn't see Flash's doctor.

"Unavailable." John's eyes narrowed before he sighed, glancing back at the sleeping speedster.

"I guess there isn't much he could do at this point anyway." He said grimly. Bruce nodded before sending a last fleeting glance at Wally before leaving him in the hands of his teammates.

 **Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

Bruce, J'onn, and Clark had been in the lab for hours. Bruce was looking over results of previous tests, while J'onn and Clark started new ones. They had extracted some of the poison from the samples, and were trying to find anything that would neutralize the toxin. Unfortunately, the only method of doing so was by trial and error.

The first ten or so trials were duds. After the eleventh test failed, the test tube was thrown against the wall leaving it shattered on the floor. J'onn could've sensed Bruce's frustration from miles away. The Dark Knight could feel the other's eyes on him, but refused to acknowledge them. No one said a word for hours after that.

 **ooOOooOOooOOoo**

Shayera's gaze hadn't left Wally's restless form for a while when she felt a large hand land on her shoulder. She looked behind her only to see that it was John. While they weren't technically together at the moment, they still had very strong (and obvious) feelings for one another (enough so that Vixen broke up with John over it). While they had many differences, they bonded over their similarities, such as their shared military background.

John sent her a small smile before squeezing her shoulder gently, trying to comfort her. She sent back as much of a smile as she could muster. Wally unconsciously shifted on the bed, gaining the other's attention again. Something new caught Diana's eye and she reached out to pull the blanket the rest of the way off Wally's abdomen. She frowned.

"What is it?" Shayera asked, standing from the chair so she could see what Diana was looking at.

"His skin..." John moved over to take a look as well. Shayera ran her hand along his stomach, where the pale skin was covered in red splotches. Wally's abdominal muscles twitched under her cold fingertips,

"It almost looks like hives.." John pointed out, frowning as well. Shayera shook her head, before walking over to the sink to wash her hands.

"They aren't raised or swollen at all." She confirmed. Wally shivered, prompting Diana to pull the blanket back up over him. He was still sweating and looked uncomfortable even in his sleep, leading them to believe his fever had yet to break. Shayera took to running a hand through his soft red hair, though it was damp from sweat as well as the washcloth.

"He already looks like he's lost weight," Shayera said, frowning again. John noticed as well, taking the blanket off and pressing a button on side of the bed, up near the head. It had a scale built into it that would account for the mattress, sheets, and pillow, but not the extra blankets. The bed let out a short high pitched beep informing them it had finished it's reading. The tiny screen read 193, meaning Wally had already lost about twelve pounds. It's normal for his weight to fluctuate depending on how much he eats and how much he's been running, neither of which he has done any of in the past two days.

Wally was shivering again, his teeth nearly chattering. His eyes squeezed shut even tighter and with a gasp, he woke up. He sat up in the bed, prompting the others to move back to give him space. He looked around and his face fell. He offered his friends a small smile.

"Hey guys...Where's Bats?"

"In the lab.." Shayera answered, taking a step closer to the bed, "You need to eat something."

The thought of food made Wally cringe, obviously remembering throwing up earlier. He was going to protest when he saw the stern looks on his friend's faces. He sighed when he saw that there was no room for argument.

A few minutes later, he was leaning back in the bed again, working on his third container of cinnamon applesauce. He had metaphorically put his foot down when it was suggested that the others tried to feed him. He insisted that he was feeling better, disregarding the rash on his skin that had now moved up to his chest. It didn't seem to be bothering him much.

Without warning, he jumped off the bed. He hadn't moved in two days, so he nearly collapsed right away, but John grabbed him and managed to keep him upright.

"Wally!" He shouted in surprise, the girls were standing near in case he needed help.

"..sick..." Wally mumbled, afraid of opening his mouth to much. John got the message and maneuvered them into the bathroom, where Wally dropped to his knees and immediately began to throw up everything he's just eaten. His good friend John was right next to him, patting him on the back. Diana ran out the door and to the lab.

Wally's stomach continued to cramp as is tried valiantly to expel anything and everything in it. Wally was left painfully dry heaving into the toilet, gasping for breathe every chance he got. He rested his forehead on the seat, relishing in the feeling of the cool porcelain against his hot feverish skin. He felt a hand in his hair and opened his eyes to see it was Shayera, who was kneeling on his right. Her lips were moving, but he couldn't hear a word. His eyes looked like they were covered in a film, and his skin nearly matched the toilet that he was still leaning on. He moved his head so his cheek was pressed against the toilet seat, not bothered in the slightest by how unsanitary it may be. He was content to just watch the pretty girl talk, even though his head was so cloudy he couldn't make out what she was saying.

But then the pretty girl was standing up and leaving, and why was she leaving? He wanted to stop her but his body wasn't listening to his brain, and he wasn't sure his brain ever actually told his body to move in the first place. A familiar dark-haired man took Shayera's place next to him. A big hand reached out and touched his face, but he didn't really feel it. He felt the slight pressure against his cheek but not the calloused fingertips he was used to feeling. He vaguely wondered if he was underwater. That might explain why he couldn't breathe. Why couldn't he breathe?

Bruce pulled Wally up off the floor, hoping that he was finished throwing up for now. He was holding up the majority of the redhead's weight, Wally would collapse without hesitation if Bruce were to let go. In reality, they were out of the bathroom before Wally had even realized he was off the ground. John finished changing the wet-with-sweat sheets and pillows on the bed Wally had been occupying so Bruce could help Wally back onto it. He nodded thanks to his teammate while waiting for Wally to catch his breath a little.

"Bruce." Bruce kept his gaze on him, which Wally usually would've taken as a sign that he was listening. He didn't seem to get the hint at the moment.

"Bruce." He repeated, reaching a hand up to grab the billionaire's arm. His strength gave up before it got there, and his arm fell back onto the bed. Instead Bruce ran his hand down Wally's shoulder and upper arm.

"I'm right here, Wally. What do you need?" His other hand went up to push sweat soaked hair off of the redheads forehead, frowning when he felt the heat radiating from him.

"I don't feel good."

He sounded like a child, and almost looked vulnerable enough to pass as one. Bruce's felt a tightening in his chest as he took in his words. The look he gave Wally conveyed pity, and if Wally were more aware he'd be pissed. He hated when people looked at him like that.

"I know you don't.." Bruce whispered back.

"..'wanna go home." Bruce stilled at that, thinking. Would it be safe to take Wally home in this condition? The decision didn't take long to come to, seeing as he was never able to deny Wally anything really. He grabbed the ends of Wally's fingers, rubbing his thumb over the knuckles.

"Okay, I can do that. I'll take you home."

 **ooOOooOOooOOooOOoo**

Bruce called Alfred and explained the situation, who for the record, was very unpleased that he was just now finding out about all this. Like most people the redhead meets, Alfred had grown to adore Wally over the years. He especially loved that he always had someone to cook for. Alfred was the first person Bruce had told that he was thinking about proposing, and it was Alfred that helped him pick out the ring. So when Bruce called after days of no contact and said Wally was extremely sick, dying even, but wanted to come home, Alfred, without hesitation, agreed to take care of him.

A flash of blue light and they appeared in the Batcave. Bruce was carrying Wally, who was sleeping as soundly as he could. He was completely wiped from the events earlier, so Bruce was careful not to wake him as he carried him up the stairs. He made it to their room, where he saw Alfred setting up an IV next to the bed. Couldn't hurt to make sure he stayed hydrated. Wally had changed into some fresh clothes before leaving the Watchtower, but it likely wouldn't be long until these were uncomfortable as well. After leaving a kiss on Wally's cheek and instructions to call if _anything_ changes, Bruce returned to the Watchtower to continue his research. After inserting the IV, Alfred sat down on the edge of the bed, placing a cool hand on Wally's forehead before sighing. He needed to make a phone call.

 **ooOOooOOooOOoo**

"Anything new?" Bruce asked as he walked back through the door of the lab. Clark looked up at the voice and sighed.

"Nope. This could take weeks."

"We don't _have_ weeks, Clark." He snapped, but there wasn't much heat behind it. Superman wasn't fazed by it; he knows how much stress the other man must be under. Bruce took a seat and immediately got back to work. So far none of the tests they have done have given them any sort of answer besides hundreds of wrong answers.

"Perhaps we are not testing the right things" J'onn spoke up, causing the others to look at him.

"Of course we aren't, nothing has worked." Bruce countered.

"No, but perhaps the solution is not of this world." J'onn explained. Clark and Bruce exchanged a look.

"The poison isn't one known on earth, so any possible cure may not be either." Clark thought aloud. Bruce stopped working and brought a hand up to his ear, pressing on his comm.

"Lantern, Hawkgirl, come in."

 **ooOOooOOooOOoo**

When Wally woke up, he immediately knew he was being watched. It's probably something he picked up from being around the Batfamily so much. He opened his eyes and slowly turned his head, first noticing he was in his and Bruce's bedroom. It felt good, _right,_ to be here. To be home. Too much time on the Watchtower, especially in the medbay, will drive _anyone_ crazy. His glossy green eyes landed on the doorway where he met a pair of light blue eyes. They just stared at one another for a few seconds in silence before it was broken.

"Hey Walls."

"Hey Dickie."

They both smiled at the nicknames, and the dark-haired young man known as Dick Grayson stepped into the room. Even though Wally was at the manor so much, they hadn't seen each other in months. Nightwing's been busy in Bludhaven and hadn't been able to catch a break to make a trip home. That is until Alfred called and said one of his best friends was sick and may not make it. He dropped everything and headed straight home, no questions asked. He tried to get ahold of Roy, but the archer was so deeply undercover they didn't even know for certain where he was. As he stepped next to the bed, he nearly cringed as he took in Wally's appearance. His skin was pale and dull, his bright red hair providing a stark contrast from where it was plastered onto his forehead with sweat. His face was slightly sunken in, the rest of his body looked thinner too. The sweatpants and shirt he was wearing were hanging off of him, and the short sleeves of the shirt did nothing to conceal the angry rash covering his body.

"God Wally...You look like shit."

"Nice to see you too." Wally smiled weakly as he said it, but Dick didn't find any of this amusing. Wally felt the bed dip as his friend sat next to him. He took in his somber expression and sighed.

"Look if you're here to yell at me for picking John as my best man, I'm sorry..You've been away so long I didn't know when you were coming back and...I mean, you'll still be in the wedding I'm sure-"

"Wedding?!" Dick shouted, effectively cutting him off. Wally had never seen Dick so caught off guard before, which was partly because the kid was raised by Batman, who was never caught of guard except for a few times that Wally isn't allowed to talk about.

"Oh," Feeling stronger than he had in nearly a week, Wally pushed himself up so he was leaning against the headboard, "I guess he didn't tell you. Well, he's been busy, I've barely seen him this whole time I've been sick...But anyway, yeah. Bruce proposed."

Wally couldn't help but smile whenever he said it. Dick frowned. There were more than enough capable people on the Watchtower to sit in the lab and run test after test. He should be with Wally. Dick noticed that Wally seemed to be waiting for a response and quickly dropped the scowl from his face.

"That's...great. I'm happy for you. Both of you." Dick replied truthfully. He hadn't been exactly thrilled when he'd discovered that his best friend was sleeping with his much older adoptive father, but once he saw them together and witnessed the love that they shared, he couldn't help but jump on board.

"So, Clark will probably be Bruce's best man but you will definitely be one of my groomsmen! I'll ask Roy too...and Garth!" Wally exclaimed, and although he still looked sick, he seemed to have some energy for the moment. Maybe it was from the adrenaline of seeing his friend or maybe he was getting better..

"Slow down Walls. We should probably focus on saving you before we go saving the date." He joked. He didn't think this was something to joke about but Wally seemed to be upbeat and optimistic about the whole thing. Wally frowned.

"What do you mean saving me? Saving me from what?" Wally looked confused and Dick's heart dropped.

"Wally, you're sick." The redhead crossed his arms and rolled him eyes before shooting a glare at Dick.

"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed. Seriously, what's going on?" In his head, Dick was panicking. Did nobody tell him? Should he tell him? Finally he decided that Wally shouldn't be kept in the dark about his own health.

"Wally, you're _really_ sick." The tension in the room could be cut with a knife and Wally finally snapped.

"Dammit Dick! Stop beating around the bush and just tell me!" The redhead was breathing heavy from his outburst, looking at his friend with desperate eyes.

"You're dying, Wally." Dick breathed out so quietly it was nearly inaudible, but in the silent room Wally heard every word. His eyes widened and he looked taken aback. He'd just thought he had the flu or something and would be better in a couple days...

"What? How could...why didn't..." Wally whispered, not sure what to say. His eyes were glued to his lap now. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, like he had more to say but the words wouldn't come out.

"A spine of some sort cut you on a mission a few days ago...it infected you with a poison and there isn't a cure...that's why you're so sick. The League's been working around the clock looking for a way to save you."

"That's why Bruce..." Wally trailed off again, his overheated brain still trying to catch up.

"That's why Bruce hasn't been here taking care of you." Wally was silent, but nodded slowly. The room was silent for a few minutes as Dick gave him time to absorb the situation. Finally, Wally looked up from his lap.

"Wally?" Dick tried to get his attention. His eye were glazed over and he swallowed loudly. The rapid paling of his face was the last hint Dick needed before he quickly dragged the redhead to the adjoining bathroom and sat with him while he got sick again.

 **Review please!**


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